Can you air fry baby potatoes? Yes! Air fryer baby potatoes are a vegan, plant-based, gluten free side dish. You’ll love how easy it is to roast whole baby potatoes in the air fryer. With no peeling and no chopping, roasted air fryer mini potatoes will be your new favorite way to eat veggies! Enjoy them for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
“Eat more vegetables” seems like such simple and common-sense advice. So why don’t many of us do it?
Imagine you’ve purchased a package of raw potatoes. You need to figure out how to season them, how to cook them, and what to serve them with. And after the planning, you’ll need to prep them by peeling, chopping, and perhaps making them mashed or smashed.
It’s a lot of work! And that’s why you need these air fryer mini potatoes in your life. With this easy recipe, just add oil and seasoning, and put the little potatoes in the air fryer.
We’re making air fryer small potatoes because they are thin skinned. That means we don’t need to peel and chop them. It saves a ton of time, and makes this a perfect weeknight side dish idea.
Frozen vegetables are fast and convenient, but they can get boring night after night. Also, your options can be limited. You can find washed and chopped fresh vegetables, but they’re often more expensive.
Making air fryer mini potatoes resolves all of the issues people commonly have with fresh veggies. They’re cheap, they’re easy, and (perhaps most importantly) they are DELICIOUS.
I know air fried baby potatoes are going to become a regular thing in my household. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
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📋 Calories, Net Carbs, Protein
One serving of mini potatoes in the air fryer has 259 calories, 35.4 grams net carbs, and 4.8 grams protein. They’re a starchy vegetable that’s not a good fit for low carb and keto diets.
⭐ Benefits
What are the benefits of cooking air fryer baby potatoes? Here are some reasons to love this air fryer recipe:
- Easy clean up: When I roast baby potatoes in the oven, I always have to scrub my roasting pan afterwards. Air frying baby potatoes is awesome because they don’t stick to the air fryer trays, and there’s little to clean.
- Nutritious: One serving of these potatoes is an excellent source of potassium and vitamin C. They’re also rich in fiber. White vegetables provide an assortment of vitamins and minerals, just like the red, orange, and green veggies.
- Whole food: Unlike the fries from most fast food chains, whole mini potatoes count as a whole food. (You can probably make these in less time than it would take to go through the fast food drive-thru as well.)
- No peeling, no chopping: As mentioned above, a huge benefit of this baby potato recipe is the minimal prep.
- Inexpensive: In the U.S., potatoes are one of the least expensive fresh vegetable options around. If you’re on a tight grocery budget, don’t forget about potatoes!
- Perfectly cooked: These air fryer small potatoes are slightly crispy outside and deliciously tender inside. The air fryer was practically made for cooking potatoes. Take advantage!
- Family friendly: Potatoes are one of the only vegetables picky eaters tend to universally eat. This tasty side dish is also a crowd pleaser.
🥘 Ingredients
You only need a few ingredients to air fry small potatoes. Here’s your shopping list:
- Baby potatoes
- Olive oil or avocado oil
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Dry dill
- Dry parsley flakes
- Salt and pepper
It’s important to choose the right potato for this recipe. You want potatoes with very thin skin so they cook quickly and there’s no need to peel them.
I used rainbow baby potatoes for this recipe that are a mix of baby red potatoes, baby purple potatoes, and baby Yukon gold potatoes. You can make just baby red potatoes in the air fryer or just baby white potatoes instead. Russet potatoes are too big for this recipe and their skin is too thick.
Mini potatoes come in a variety of different sizes. The ones I’m using are 14-15 potatoes per pound (454 grams).
I’ve seen veggies labeled “little potatoes” that are much, much smaller than this. If you use smaller potatoes than I am using, your cooking time will be shorter. If you use larger potatoes, try cutting them into large chunks prior to air frying.
🍽 Equipment
To make baby potatoes in an air fryer, you (of course) need an air fryer. I use a large-capacity 10-Quart Kalorik Air Fryer Oven. If you have a small air fryer basket or tray, you may need to cook the mini potatoes in multiple batches.
The Ninja Foodi, Philips, Cosori, Instant Vortex, Cuisinart, Pampered Chef Air Fryer, Actifry, Nuwave, Power Air Fryer, etc. can cook little potatoes. Cooking times may need to be adjusted slightly depending on the air fryer you use.
🔪 How to Make Air Fryer Baby Potatoes
To make air fried baby potatoes, start by rinsing your potatoes to clean them off and pat dry. Put the potatoes in a medium-sized bowl and drizzle the oil over the potatoes. Sprinkle the dill, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper over your taters and stir to coat.
Put the potatoes in a single layer on your air fryer tray (or in the air fryer basket). I was able to fit all of the baby potatoes on one tray. Pour any herbed oil left in the bowl over the baby potatoes.
Now that your potatoes are seasoned, we’re ready to cook them. If you’re using an air fryer oven, put the baby potatoes in the top rack position.
️⏲ Cooking Time and Temperature
How long to air fry baby potatoes? What temp to cook raw baby potatoes in an air fryer? Air fry baby potatoes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200C) for 26 minutes total. Flip the potatoes after they’ve been cooking for 12 minutes.
You don’t need to preheat the air fryer for this recipe, which is a nice time saver. You can reduce cooking time further by cutting the potatoes into halves or quarters.
Remember that some “little potatoes” are smaller than these baby potatoes and will take less time. The 22 little potatoes I cooked weighed about 1.5 lbs. (24 ounces).
The potatoes are done when they are fork tender. Add additional air frying time if they are not ready. The potato skin wrinkles up after you let them cool a few minutes.
🌡️ How to Reheat
Leftover air fried baby potatoes can be stored in a covered container in the fridge for 3-4 days. These potatoes do not freeze well.
Reheat cooked baby potatoes in the air fryer at 375F (190C) for 4-5 minutes. You’re just looking to warm them through.
🥔 Seasoning
This recipe is for air fryer herbed baby potatoes. However, you can switch up the seasonings as you like. Here are some suggestions for seasoning baby potatoes:
- Cajun spice
- Italian seasoning
- Mrs Dash
- Old Bay seasoning
- BBQ seasoning
- Chili powder
- Everything But the Bagel seasoning
- Salt and pepper
🥗 How to Serve
What to serve with baby potatoes? You’ll need a protein and more veggies to make this a full meal. Here are some suggestions for what goes with baby potatoes:
- Air Fryer Rib Eye Steak
- Air Fryer Pork Roast
- Frozen Chicken Thighs in the Air Fryer
- Air Fryer Chicken Legs
- Air Fryer Carrots
- Kale Apple Slaw with Brussels Sprouts
💭 Expert Tips from a Dietitian
This is a level 3 recipe (weight maintenance and active lifestyles). This air fryer baby potato recipe is a great example of how “healthy” dishes are not necessarily low calorie. A reasonable portion of this side dish provides over 250 calories and 35 grams of net carbs. It’s rich in many essential nutrients (a notable exception is vitamin A, but hopefully you’re eating more than just potatoes).
As nutritious as it is, this vegetable side dish wouldn’t be my top pick in certain situations. For example, if you’re using low carb for weight loss or blood sugar control in diabetes, potatoes are not a good choice.
The combination of carbs and added fat here with little protein isn’t the best for losing weight, even if you aren’t on a low carb diet. No matter what dietary pattern you follow, you need to maintain a calorie deficit to lose weight. It’s easier to maintain a caloric deficit if you choose foods that help you feel full on fewer calories.
Non-starchy veggies are almost always lower in calories by volume than starchy vegetables. If your goal is weight loss, I would shift towards eating more non-starchy veggies (leafy greens, peppers, onions, summer squash, etc.) and fewer starchy veggies (potatoes, corn, peas).
If you don’t want to give up potatoes, there are ways to make this into a low-calorie and filling meal. Add lean protein (white fish, chicken breast, etc.) and some low-oil non-starchy veggies to your plate. You can easily create a satisfying under 500 calorie meal that includes potatoes with these additions.
FAQs
No, you do not need to soak baby potatoes before air frying. Soaking potatoes is sometimes recommended when making homemade air fryer french fries to help them crisp better. It is not necessary with this recipe.
There are a number of issues that can lead to soggy potatoes. Some of these include: not air frying long enough, using too much oil, and skipping the parboiling or soaking step when making fries. Your best bet for good results is to follow a tested air fryer potatoes recipe (like those provided here).
Packed with essential nutrients and cooked with heart healthy oil, IMHO air fryer baby potatoes are a nutritious choice. That said, they are a starchy veggie that is fairly energy dense. They're not a good option for those on low carb diets.
Yes, you can make oil free air fryer baby potatoes. However, they will be much drier than potatoes cooked with oil. You will need to add something to the potatoes to help the seasonings to stick, such as broth or lemon juice.
This air fryer radish recipe is an excellent keto substitute for air fryer baby potatoes. Aside from being very low carb, radishes are also a good Paleo alternative to potatoes. (White potatoes are generally not considered compatible with Paleo diets.)
👩🏻🍳 More Air Fryer Potato Recipes
Want more air fryer recipes using potatoes? You may enjoy trying these next:
- Air Fryer Potato Skins
- Air Fryer Frozen Sweet Potato Fries
- Frozen Diced Hash Browns in Air Fryer
- Air Fryer Frozen Hash Browns
You might also enjoy my other side dish recipes!
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The Disclaimer…
All recipes on this website may or may not be appropriate for you, depending on your medical needs and personal preferences. Consult with a registered dietitian or your physician if you need help determining the dietary pattern that may be best for you.
The nutrition information is an estimate provided as a courtesy. It will differ depending on the specific brands and ingredients that you use. Calorie information on food labels may be wildly inaccurate, so please don't sweat the numbers too much.
For more information on how the three recipe levels may help with a weight management goal, refer to my overnight oats no sugar post. Let's get cooking!
📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Baby Potatoes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1½ lbs baby potatoes (680 grams; approximately 22 potatoes)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (or avocado oil)
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Rinse the baby potatoes to clean them off and pat them dry. Put the potatoes in a medium-sized bowl.
- Drizzle the oil over the potatoes. Sprinkle on the dill, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper and stir to coat.
- Put the potatoes in a single layer on your air fryer tray. (I was able to fit them all on one tray.) Pour any herbed oil left in the bowl over the baby potatoes. Put the tray in the top rack position of the air fryer if you are using an air fryer oven.
- Air fry at 400°F (200°C) for 12 minutes. Flip the potatoes and air fry at 400°F (200°C) for an additional 14 minutes, or until fork tender.
- Let the potatoes cool for a few minutes before serving. The potato skin will get wrinkly as they cool.
- Note: The size of the baby potatoes you use in this recipe matters! Smaller potatoes than I am using will have a shorter cooking time. Larger potatoes may need to be cut into pieces. Make sure to use thin skinned potatoes for this recipe.
Lester says